1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle mounted article carriers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a carrier for aquatic recreational equipment such as float tubes.
2. Description of Related Prior Art
There is currently no vehicle rack on the market that is specifically designed for transporting float tubes. Although there are a host of various rack designs for bikes, skis, surfboards, and other articles, none of them are sufficiently designed for transporting inflated float tubes.
Float tubes—also called Belly Boats—are large, glorified innertubes with a saddle (two leg holes at the bottom of the tube) primarily used for fishing but also for waterfowl hunting and other aquatic activities. A person sits in a float tube in the water and fishes, hunts, and etc. Float tubes come in two standard shapes: round, (donut style) or U-shaped. What is common on all float tubes is the placement and size of the holes of the saddle where any difference in dimension or size is nominal.
Although float tubes can be inflated and deflated fairly easily, this becomes an inconvenience when a person needs to make periodic trips to separate fishing or hunting locations. The reason being, it is highly inconvenient to deflate a float tube and then re-inflate it shortly thereafter upon reaching a water destination only a short distance away. This is especially true when the float tubes become wet, dirty, or caked with mud and other debris. Even placing them in the bed of a pickup truck—not to mention the inside of a vehicle cab—consumes space and can soil and create water damage to articles in the cab or pickup bed.
What is needed is a portable, easy-to-use, convenient carrier that can attach to a vehicle for transporting inflated float tubes.